Song Stuck In My Head This Week

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

This week's blog was always planned to be posted today regardless of recent delays in my blogging. The simple reason for the choice of today's date is this, it's Bob Dylan's 70th birthday and to celebrate I want to blog about a song that is often in my head and is my favourite Dylan song, 'Hurricane'.

'Hurricane' was written in response to the case of the boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter who was jailed along with John Artis in 1966 for allegedly committing a triple murder. The case was riddle with faulty evidence, questionable eyewitness testimony and appeared to be highly racially motivated.

Over the following years Carter continued to maintain his innocence and, after meeting Carter, Dylan with co-writer Jacques Levy wrote the song 'Hurricane' and released it both as a single as well as putting the track on the 1975 album 'Desire' in order to raise the profile of the injustice of the case.

Dylan then organised concerts in both Madison Square Garden in New York and the Houston Auditorium in Houston, Texas, in order to raise money to help Rubin Carter appeal his conviction (though the latter didn't raise any money after expenses had been paid, the Madison Square Garden show did raise $100,000).

At the re-trial in 1976, Rubin Carter's sentence was reduced but it took until 1985 for the conviction to finally be overturned when Federal Judge H. Lee Sarokin ruled that Carter had not received a fair trial and that his conviction was, in effect, based on racism.

For me, what makes this song so great is that you are drawn into the story being told in the lyrics. They are so descriptive that you can almost picture the story playing out in your mind like a movie. This is an intentional style of writing on the part of Dylan and co-writer Levy, but it truly works to full effect as it captures the imagination so strongly. It also leaves me, at least, with a strong sense of passion for justice to be done which is a feeling not all of Dylan's 'protest songs' leave me with - though this could just be a generational thing.

If you've never heard this song then I highly recommend you give it a listen and I'll catch you all next week!!

Happy Birthday Mr Zimmerman!!

Bob Dylan - Hurricane

Pistols shots ring out in the barroom nightEnter Patty Valentine from the upper hallShe sees the bartender in a pool of bloodCries out "My God they killed them all"Here comes the story of the HurricaneThe man the authorities came to blameFor something that he never donePut him in a prison cell but one time he could-a beenThe champion of the world.

Three bodies lying there does Patty seeAnd another man named Bello moving around mysteriously"I didn't do it" he says and he throws up his hands"I was only robbing the register I hope you understandI saw them leaving" he says and he stops"One of us had better call up the cops"And so Patty calls the copsAnd they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashingIn the hot New Jersey night.

Meanwhile far away in another part of townRubin Carter and a couple of friends are driving aroundNumber one contender for the middleweight crownHad no idea what kinda shit was about to go downWhen a cop pulled him over to the side of the roadJust like the time before and the time before thatIn Patterson that's just the way things goIf you're black you might as well not shown up on the street'Less you wanna draw the heat.

Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the corpsHim and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowling aroundHe said "I saw two men running out they looked like middleweightsThey jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates"And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her headCop said "Wait a minute boys this one's not dead"So they took him to the infirmaryAnd though this man could hardly seeThey told him that he could identify the guilty men.

Four in the morning and they haul Rubin inTake him to the hospital and they bring him upstairsThe wounded man looks up through his one dying eyeSays "Wha'd you bring him in here for ? He ain't the guy !"Yes here comes the story of the HurricaneThe man the authorities came to blameFor something that he never donePut in a prison cell but one time he could-a beenThe champion of the world.

Four months later the ghettos are in flameRubin's in South America fighting for his nameWhile Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery gameAnd the cops are putting the screws to him looking for somebody to blame"Remember that murder that happened in a bar ?""Remember you said you saw the getaway car?""You think you'd like to play ball with the law ?""Think it might-a been that fighter you saw running that night ?""Don't forget that you are white".

Arthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm really not sure"Cops said "A boy like you could use a breakWe got you for the motel job and we're talking to your friend BelloNow you don't wanta have to go back to jail be a nice fellowYou'll be doing society a favorThat sonofabitch is brave and getting braverWe want to put his ass in stirWe want to pin this triple murder on himHe ain't no Gentleman Jim".

Rubin could take a man out with just one punchBut he never did like to talk about it all that muchIt's my work he'd say and I do it for payAnd when it's over I'd just as soon go on my wayUp to some paradiseWhere the trout streams flow and the air is niceAnd ride a horse along a trailBut then they took him to the jailhouseWhere they try to turn a man into a mouse.

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advanceThe trial was a pig-circus he never had a chanceThe judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slumsTo the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bumAnd to the black folks he was just a crazy niggerNo one doubted that he pulled the triggerAnd though they could not produce the gunThe DA said he was the one who did the deedAnd the all-white jury agreed.

Rubin Carter was falsely triedThe crime was murder 'one' guess who testifiedBello and Bradley and they both baldly liedAnd the newspapers they all went along for the rideHow can the life of such a manBe in the palm of some fool's hand ? To see him obviously framedCouldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game.

Now all the criminals in their coats and their tiesAre free to drink martinis and watch the sun riseWhile Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cellAn innocent man in a living hellThat's the story of the HurricaneBut it won't be over till they clear his nameAnd give him back the time he's donePut him in a prison cell but one time he could-a beenThe champion of the world.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Exceptionally late, even by my standards, but I spent most of the week trying to find out where last week's blog went!!

There isn't much that people don't know about the man who was born into a regular family on 8th January 1935 and ended up being one of the biggest stars of all time. One thing you certainly don't know is that 'Guitar Man' is my favourite of all the songs he ever recorded.

Originally written and recorded by Jerry Reed in 1967, it was a minor hit for him as well as Elvis when he recorded his version of it shortly afterward. It was only a bigger hit for Elvis when it was re-mixed and re-released in 1981.

'Guitar Man' was also the opening song of Elvis's much renowned '68 Comeback Special, a wise choice in my opinion as the song is so irresistibly catchy that you can't help but be drawn in by it.

It's that catchy quality that makes it my favourite of all his songs. It's up-tempo, fun and I feel it shows Elvis at his natural best.

Hope you all enjoy it and I’ll catch you all in a day or two when I get back on track with these blogs!!!

Elvis Presley - Guitar Man

Well, I quit my job down at the car wash,Left my mama a goodbye note,By sundown I'd left Kingston,With my guitar under my coat,I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis,Got a room at the YMCA,For the next three weeks I went huntin' them nights,Just lookin' for a place to play,Well, I thought my pickin' would set 'em on fire,But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man.

Well, I nearly 'bout starved to death down in Memphis,I run outta money and luck,So I bought me a ride down to Macon, Georgia,On a overloaded poultry truck,I thumbed on down to Panama City,Started pickin' out some o' them all night bars,Hopin' I could make myself a dollar,Makin' music on my guitar,I got the same old story at them all night piers,There ain't no room around here for a guitar man

So I slept in the hobo jungles,Roamed a thousand miles off track,Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama,At a club they call Big Jack's,A little four-piece band was jammin',So I took my guitar and I sat in,I showed 'em what a band would sound like,With a swingin' little guitar man.Show 'em, son

If you ever take a trip down to the ocean,Find yourself down around Mobile,Make it on out to a club called Jack's,If you got a little time to kill,Just follow that crowd of people,You'll wind up out on his dance floor,Diggin' the finest little five-piece group,Up and down the Gulf of Mexico,Guess who's leadin' that five-piece band,Well, wouldn't ya know, it's that swingin' little guitar man.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

There was a brilliant blog here about Kristeen Young. It was posted up properly and everything. It seems, however, to have disappeared/been eaten by the net/something more untoward and I can't for the life of me begin to recreate it or do it justice.

Therefore all I ask is that you check out the amazing video for the amazing song 'Fantastic Failure' and buy the 'V The Volcanic' EP on iTunes.

I thank you.

Kristeen Young - Fantastic Failure

I think that when you die, you might dieWithout ever having been alive.The things you choose to do, you do choose'Cause you know that you'll get safely through.Come and join with me. I am Egypt and you are Rome.Now, let's go procreate. I'll createAnd you'll get the credit: you're the pro.

We'll be gods, not kings, 'cause our dreamsWill be supernatural offspring.We'll strike the hands of time. Unconfined,Our decisions do not hear it's chime.Tho it may be dark, don't alarm. It's where freedom's from.My breasts heave with sound. Hips are round.Such women, they say, are the sun.

Yes you'll break your heart. But, in the, end all heart's break.So, live your life.

And if they stake and claim all we've made:What we won't let go they cannot take.If they outnumber us, their fight mustBe weak to need so much back up.If they climb our tower, still the power will lie herein.You have got the sword, and I've the asp,And death will be proud to take us in.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The last few weeks have been some of the best of my life. I've met someone wonderful and I'm very much in love. It's a wonderful feeling. This song just makes me feel so romantic, and is also an amazing song.

Most people when they think of Fleetwood Mac tend to think of the era from the mid-70's onward when Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and John and Christie McVie joined up with Mick Fleetwood and released massively popular albums like 'Rumours'. However, many seem to forget the amazing stuff produced by Fleetwood Mac in the early years when legendary guitarist Peter Green was in the band.

Peter Green is one of the greatest guitarists of all time as well as being a great singer and songwriter. The band's fourth single release, the Green penned 'Black Magic Woman which later became a huge hit for Santana, was their first to hit the UK Top 40 singles chart. The follow up to this was the cover of the 1955 single by Little Willie John, 'Need Your Love So Bad'.

What makes the Fleetwood Mac version so good for me is how Peter Green oozes emotion out of not only his vocal performance but also his guitar playing. The combination is just magical.

I hope this song brings out the love and romance in you as it does in me and that you enjoy it!! Catch you all next week!!

Fleetwood Mac - Need Your Love So Bad

Need someone's hand to lead me through the nightI need someone's arms to hold and squeeze me tightNow, when the night begins, whoa, I'm at an endBecause I need your love so bad

I need some lips to feel next to mineNeed someone to stand up - to stand up and tell me when I'm lyin'And when the lights are low - and it's time to goThat's when I need your love so bad

So why don't you give it up, baby and bring it home to me or write it on a piece of paper, woman - so it can be read to meTell me that you love me - and stop drivin' me madwhoa, because I - I need your love so bad

Need a soft voice - just to talk to me at nightDon't want you to worry, babyI know we can make everything alrightListen to my plea, baby, come on bring it to me'Cause I need - your love so badBaby, I need, I need - woman, I need your love so bad

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Goddaughter and protege of singer Amy Winehouse, Dionne Bromfield relesed her first album in 2009 at the tender age of 13. With a gorgeous voice it showed what she could be capable of in the future.

Two years on and she's just about to release her second album, 'Good For The Soul', and the lead single 'Yeah Right' recently came out and I can't stop singing it.

It's just so catchy and really has suited the summery weather we've had lately. How it's not been a bigger hit I do not know. That said it's left me impatient for the June release of the album.

I really love it and I hope you all do too!! Catch you next week!!

Dionne Bromfield - Yeah Right

Yo what up Dionne it's Diggy I got erm caught up in the studio doing some things So I'm erm a hit you later

Maybe you caught the train just like you said you did Maybe it broke down but you didn't give up Maybe you got pinned down by all the weight of gifts That you were bringing me to show your love Maybe you got lost on the way back to my house Maybe you called and I was on the phone Maybe you thought if you were late I'd throw you out Maybe you think I like being on my own

Yeah right Yeah right I mean honestly You lied to me like I'm not there Yeah right Yeah right You must be mad you lied so bad Just listen to yourself Yeah right Yeah right You'll lose my love If you keep it up Yeah right Mmm

Maybe you got messed up by someone in your past Maybe you give me what they gave to you Maybe it all makes sense of why you run so fast Acting like this is some police interview Maybe you're waiting for my birthday to arrive And then you're gonna tell me everything

Yeah right Yeah right I mean honestly You lied to me like I'm not there Yeah right Yeah right You must be mad you lied so bad Just listen to yourself Yeah right Yeah right You'll lose my love If you keep it up Yeah right Mmm

Girl I ain't trying to go there with you But you full of drama - you motion picture And I ain't really gettin' why you insecure You're trippin' over this like I lied before I never lied before, oh it's that paranoia Look at all I gave you - didn't I spoil ya? If I got it you got it don't I support ya?You blind you can't see I sis it all for ya adored ya? So now you're fancy huh...ha But don't forget it made you fancy ma...ha! But for you look what all I've done Now I'm throwin' up the deuces minus a finger one. Dig?

Yeah right Yeah right I mean honestly You lied to me like I'm not there Yeah right Yeah right You must be mad you lied so bad Just listen to yourself Yeah right Yeah right You'll lose my love If you keep it up Yeah right Mmm

Yeah right Yeah right I mean honestly You lied to me like I'm not there Yeah right Yeah right You must be mad you lied so bad Just listen to yourself Yeah right Yeah right You'll lose my love If you keep it up Yeah right Mmm

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sam Cooke, the King Of Soul, only lived a short life but produced some classic soul records that have stood the test of time. With his mainstream success only lasting for three years before his death in 1964, he still managed to release a series of great songs such as 'Chain Gang', 'A Change Is Gonna Come', 'Wonderful World', 'You Send Me' and this week's song 'Twistin' The Night Away'.

'Twistin' The Night Away' is such a fun track reflecting the popular dance craze of the time, The Twist. Even today you can't help but dance to the song as it's so catchy that it's hard to stay still. This catchiness is probably what made it such a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

To this day his music is still covered by musicians, the most recent examply being Colin Meloy from The Decemberists who released a solo EP of Sam Cooke covers.

I believe everyone should have a little Sam Cooke in their lives. I hope you all enjoy the song and I'll catch you all next week!!

Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away

Let me tell you 'bout a placeSomewhere up a New York wayWhere the people are so gayTwistin' the night away...

Here they have a lot of funPuttin' trouble on the runMan, you find the old and youngTwistin' the night away

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Formed in 1977 Def leppard are one of the biggest rock bands of all time having sold over 65 million albums worldwide. Their peak years came between the mid 80's and mid 90's where they had worldwide hits with songs such as 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Hysteria', 'Let's Get Rocked' and this week's song stuck in my head, 'Animal'.

'Animal' was the second single to be released from their 1987 album 'Hysteria' and became their first UK top ten single, peaking at number 6.

I totally blame my sister for this week's choice as she's been playing a lot of rock music from that era in the last few weeks which generally leads to me getting either songs by Van Halen or songs by Def Leppard stuck in my head.

For me 'Animal' tends to spring to mind (1) as it makes me think of Animal from The Muppets and (2) because it's such a great song.

I really love it and I hope you do! Catch you al next week!!

Def Leppard - Animal

A wild ride, over stony groundSuch a lust for life, the circus comes to townWe are the hungry ones, on a lightning raidJust like a river runs, like a fire needs flameI burn for you

I gotta feel it in my bloodWhoa-ohI need your touch don't need your loveWhoa-ohAnd I want, and I need, and I lustAnimalAnd I want, and I need, and I lustAnimal

I cry wolf, given mouth to mouthLike a movin' heartbeat in the witching hourI'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dustAnd like the drivin' rainYeah, like the restless rustI never sleep

I gotta feel it in my bloodWhoa-ohI need your touch don't need your loveWhoa-ohAnd I want, and I need, and I lustAnimalAnd I want, and I need, and I lustAnimal